Disclaimer: Telegram provides user data to law enforcement agencies

Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram, announced that the IP addresses and phone numbers of users who violated the rules of the platform will be transferred to law enforcement agencies. The entrepreneur assured that this will be done only in response to legitimate legitimate requests. Also, the messenger has updated its privacy policy in accordance with the requirements of international law.

Durov, who was unable to leave France due to a criminal case related to the platform, said that previously the search feature on Telegram was used especially for the purpose of selling illegal goods, including drugs, in the territory of the European Union. Messenger administration will fight against this phenomenon. The businessman announced this on the Telegram channel on Monday, September 23.

The moderation team uses artificial intelligence to remove all illegal content found in the search results. Durov urged users to report illegal content through the SearchReport bot.

The Terms of Service and Privacy Policy have also been updated to be the same for all users worldwide. According to Durov, in case of violations of the rules of the platform, if there are legal grounds, users' IP addresses and phone numbers can be transferred to the relevant authorities.

"We made it clear that the IP addresses and phone numbers of those who violate our rules can be given to the relevant authorities in response to legal requirements. These measures are aimed at preventing crime. The search feature on Telegram is for finding friends and opening news, not for promoting illegal goods. We will not allow them to undermine the integrity of our platform for a billion users," Durov wrote.